Passing Through Persepolis Trivia Quiz

Answer: Iran

The ruins of Persepolis are located in the Fars Province of the modern day country of Iran near the city of Shiraz. Construction of the city began sometime around 500 BC; some historians credit Cyrus the Great, founder of the first Persian Empire for choosing the site, although it appears that actual building took place during the reign of Darius I, and continued under his son, Xerxes, and grandson, Artaxerxes.

The city was mostly built following the guidelines that were used to build another capital of the empire - Susa; it is believed, however, that Darius moved the new capital from the one that was used by Cyrus.

While the ancient Greeks called the city Persepolis, the Persian name, which had the same meaning, was Parsa.

Answer: Rahmat Mountain

The interior of the country has an area that is called the Central or Persian Plateau, which consists of several basins that are enclosed by mountain ranges - the Elburz in the north and the Zagros in the south - and deserts. The ruins of the city are found on a plain called the Marv Dasht Plain today. Rahmat Mountain (Mountain of Mercy), part of the Zagros Range, abuts to this plain. Small groups of people had been living in the area for centuries before it was chosen to be the site of the new capital.

Much of the complex was carved out of the mountain. The raised platform on which the city was built measured approximately 1,345,488 square feet (125,000 square meters) by 66 feet (20 meters) high.

Answer: It had a remote, isolated location.

The truth of the matter is that Persepolis was so remote that it was easily defended and few outsiders even suspected that the city existed; the Greeks, in fact, one of the Persians' greatest enemies, did not know about the existence of the city for two hundred years! That made it the perfect place to keep the treasury and other valuables that the king possessed, but its location made travel in and out of the city difficult, depending on the season.

A system of water storage canals called qanats, was built to collect melting snow off the mountains, along with other available water. These underground canals were carved from the rock; the water would flow through the canal to a cistern, where it was stored until needed.

Answer: Cedar

The famous cedars of Lebanon were even mentioned in the Bible! Archaeologists believe that originally the ancient architects planned to use cedar logs from Lebanon and teak logs from India to make the Persian columns for the hypostyle hall, an area where the roof was held up by columns, or apadana, in the Persian language; the apadana was the largest building constructed on the terrace at Persepolis, and was used as an audience hall, or main hall, for the king.

The area of the apadana was 10,764 square feet (1000 square meters).

It was made with 72 columns that were 82 feet (25 meters) tall. The logs proved to be, however, too short, so stone was used to make the columns, noted for their fluted shafts and double animal - usually bulls or lions - capitals.

The cedar logs were then used as beams and supports for the roof of the building.

Answer: Spring Equinox

Also called the vernal equinox, the spring equinox in the Northern hemisphere occurs annually sometime between March 19-21. The celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, coincides with the spring equinox. Considered to be the most important Persian festival, it has been observed for over 7,000 years, and may even go back to similar celebrations held in ancient Babylon. For the ancient Persians, it was the first day of spring and the first day of the first month of their year, which was called Farvardin. Some historians believe that during Nowruz Persepolis was filled with representatives from all the Persian provinces who had come to pay tribute to the king and shower him with special gifts. The bas-reliefs that decorated the apadana, or main hall, in the city are very intricately detailed in depicting the representatives, each in native dress, bringing their tribute to lay before the king.

In the picture, the lion, representing the summer sun, defeats the bull, which represents the winter rain. The image was carved into a monumental gateway that led to what is believed to have been the king's palace.

Answer: Limestone

Mostly made of limestone and shale, the Zagros Mountains extend 990 miles (1,600 kilometers) from Turkey to the Strait of Hormuz. With a width of 150 miles (240 kilometers), the range forms the country's western border. Passes were found centuries ago that led through the mountains to fertile plains.

The main materials used to construct Persepolis were mud brick, used in constructing homes for the artisans, and grey limestone taken from the Zagros Mountains, used for the the terrace and buildings where the upper class lived. It is said that the king preferred his palace to be constructed with dark grey marble, which was reflective, so that he could see people behind him.

Answer: Shahanshah

The use of the title "Shahanshah", or "King of Kings" dates all the way back to Deioces, credited with being the founder of the Median Empire, who ruled from approximately 727-675 BC. He united different groups of Medes after the ancient Assyrians withdrew from northern and western Persia. Some sources claim that Cyrus the Great (549-530 BC) also adopted the title after he united the Persians and the Medes, founding the Achaemenid Dynasty, which is also called the First Persian Empire; other say he was the "Shah", and adopting the title, "Shahanshah", was another way Darius I could outdo him a bit. The title was used throughout the centuries until the end of the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah (1941-1979).

By the way, the ancient Persian kings practiced a custom known as proskynesis, which meant that no one was allowed to meet them at eye level. As the "King of Kings", there was no one higher than the Shah, so those who approached, depending on their social position - and there were several different degrees - would either have to prostrate themselves before the king, or bow.

Answer: Pasargadae

Meaning "strong club" or "protective club" in Old Persian, Pasargadae was built by Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, in the mid-500s BC. The city was founded near a site where Cyrus defeated the Median king, which symbolized the unification of the Medes with the Persians. The building in the picture is believed to have been the tomb of Cyrus the Great; his son, Cambyses II, also ruled from Pasargadae and is believed to have been buried there.

Apparently there was a bit of a power struggle that took place before Darius I was proclaimed king, as well as revolts in the provinces that had to be addressed. Historians believe that Darius may have wanted a clean start - meaning a new capital - once he consolidated his power.

Answer: Alexander the Great

There is a lot of talk about what exactly happened while Alexander was in Persepolis in 330 BC. It is known that he completely cleaned out the treasury - the historian Plutarch said that it took 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels to carry all the treasure from the city. Once all that wealth began recirculating, it caused a depression the likes of which the ancient world had never seen.

Anyway, back to the destruction of the city. What isn't known exactly is how the fire began in the king's palace. Was it an accident? A result of a drunken celebration? Some say yes. Plutarch, for example, said that after the fire broke out Alexander ordered that it be extinguished. Others, such as the historian Arrian, said that the fire was set to avenge the burning of Athens in 480 BC, which took place during the Persian Wars. One of the courtesans of Alexander's army, a Greek woman named Thais, suggested that the burning would be appropriate. It was written that Alexander regretted the burning of the city for the rest of his life.

Even in partial ruins, Persepolis continued to be the capital of Persia as a Macedonian province. Alexander took the title of a Persian king, wore Persian dress, married his men to Persian women, and adopted other customs, such as proskynesis, which it is said that he greatly enjoyed.

Answer: Earthquake

Iran is the site of numerous fault lines that cover an estimated 90% of the country. The oldest record of such activity, the Damghan Earthquake, which took place in the north, dates to 856 and caused approximately 200,000 deaths. Throughout modern history notations have been made by visitors to Persepolis concerning how many columns remain standing. Of course, time plays a role in the destruction of the ancient city and treasure seekers have also caused damage over the years.

It is believed that earthquakes in 1625, 1795, 1812 could have caused the fall of columns in the city.

More recently, the Bam Earthquake in 2002, whose epicenter was about 450 miles from Persepolis, caused damage to the ancient site.